Modern food mixers generally include beater or agitator elements which are placed into a mixing bowl that is rotated during the food preparation process. Industrial mixers can include large beater elements which rotate at high speeds. Hobart Corporation of Troy, Ohio is one manufacturer of this type of mixer.
These food mixers have proved to be quite effective and are well accepted in the art. However, they have several drawbacks, which if overcome, should make them even more effective. For example, these known mixers can be noisy and can have a possibility of elements, such as food or the like, flying out of the mixing bowl during operation. Similarly, foreign, and undesired, material can move into the mixing bowl during use. These are undesirable situations. On the other hand, however, the desired addition or removal of material to or from the mixing bowl should be a retained feature of such machinery.
Therefore, there is a need for a food mixer which reduces noise and the possibility of undesired entry and/or emission of material to and/or from the mixing bowl while still allowing desired addition or removal of material to or from the bowl.
Still further, safety requires that as much precaution as possible be taken to prevent undesired contact between the beater elements and the operator. However, this precaution should be taken without unduly restricting desired contact between the operator and the inside of the mixing bowl or with the beater elements themselves. Such desired contact includes, among others, cleaning of the beater elements.
Therefore, there is a need for a means for preventing undesirable contact between an operator and beater elements of a food mixer without unduly restricting desired contact between an operator and the agitator elements.
Still further, cleaning of the item is an important aspect for any item used in food preparation. The item should be thoroughly cleaned prior to and after use whereby sanitary conditions are effectively established and maintained. Cleaning not only should be thorough but should be efficient, especially from a cost aspect.
Therefore, there is a need for a food mixer that is capable of being efficiently and thoroughly cleaned.
Still further, many businesses have large investments in food mixing equipment and might be reluctant to change. Therefore, to be commercially successful, improvements should be compatible with existing equipment and should be easily retrofit onto existing equipment whereby businesses will be willing to accept the improvements.
Some known food mixers have an open wire mesh cover that fits over the mixing bowl. This type of cover has some advantages over no cover, but has nearly all of the above-mentioned drawbacks are present with such open wire mesh covers. This is especially the situation with industrial food mixers.